Bo Xilai’s first wife calls Gu Kailai 'paranoid' over poisoning plot

Months before his fall from power, Chongqing party leader Bo Xilai suspected a plot to poison his second wife and questioned whether his son by his first marriage was involved, a report said on Sunday.

The second wife Gu Kailai was herself convicted in August of fatally poisoning a British businessman.

The latest revelation in the murder and corruption scandal, which brought Bo down and exposed deep divisions in the ruling Communist Party ahead of a once-in-a-decade leadership change, came from Bo’s ex-wife Li Danyu.

She told the New York Times – which described the saga as “Shakespearean” – that months before Bo fell, he told her brother he had forensic evidence of a plot to kill Gu, his current wife.

Bo reportedly said the suspected mastermind was his own son with Li, Li Wangzhi who is also known as Brendan Li. He is a graduate of Columbia University and works in finance in Beijing.

The New York Times said Bo’s brother-in-law described the suspicions as outlandish and the politician appeared relieved.